Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for NCIS: Origins season 1.The latest NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Origins, is heating up — and it's setting the stage for a major heartbreak. The series follows Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, detailing the special agent's past as he was getting his sea legs at NIS. Gibbs' career change from Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant to rookie NIS agent happened after the death of his wife and child, which occurred at the end of his deployment in Operation Desert Storm. The NCIS: Origins story explores the tragedy that causes Gibbs to join the agency and reveals heart-wrenching details from his past.
Since it is a prequel series, there's a lot we already know about the fates of certain NCIS: Origins characters. The series revives Muse Watson's Mike Franks, played by Kyle Schmid in NCIS: Origins. Likewise, Special Agent Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez) is a character who hails from the flagship. And although much less is established about her character, she has a huge personality. Despite all the fascinating prequel elements, there is inevitable heartbreak on the horizon, extending far beyond what happened to Gibbs' wife and daughter in NCIS.
NCIS Confirms That Vera's Profiling Project Didn't Go Anywhere
Vera Strickland Is In NCIS And NCIS: Origins
In NCIS: Origins episode 5, Vera is creating a profiling program to help NIS use data about criminal offenses to identify their most likely suspect. The program creates tension in the prequel and highlights conflicts between Vera and Franks. Vera needs approval for her program from Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler (Patrick Fischler). During the meeting that she's prepared for, Franks barges in. The disruption causes the meeting to end early, with Cliff explaining they don't have the funding. Vera is understandably upset that Franks stole the moment she had to convince Wheeler to fund her program.
The instance highlights the existing tension between Franks and Vera. The original NCIS series says they are partners. However, Vera isn't on Mike's team in NCIS: Origins. Their conflict in episode 5 shows why Vera has distanced herself from the leader but hasn't given the whole picture. Still, Franks put a good word in for Vera's program, which gets approved. In episode 6, Agent Strickland celebrates her program's success with Mary Jo (Tyla Abercrumbie) and Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino). Still, sadly, we know from NCIS that the program didn't go anywhere since it's never mentioned.
Everything We Know About Vera's Future From NCIS
Roma Maffia Plays Vera Strickland In NCIS Season 11
The trajectory of Vera's career is just one of the NCIS: Origins outcomes that the original show foretells. Vera Strickland first appears in NCIS season 11, episode 3, "Under the Radar," at the end of her NCIS career. The appearance reveals that Vera is Mike Franks' last partner in his NCIS career. Vera's existence in the original series confirms that she will live through the NCIS: Origins prequel, which isn't guaranteed for all its characters, considering their line of work. For instance, Lala Dominguez isn't mentioned in NCIS, meaning her fate could be another heartbreak in NCIS: Origins.
